Why don’t anxiety meds work for me?

To @jschwing
Hello, I used the name Dorothy to log in but my name is Claudia. I am in panic mode as I just learned today that I may have done irreversible damage to my heart by taking too much Effexor when I restarted in Sept. 2024. I was supposed to start at 37.5 once a day but I took 75mg twice a day (150mg total). I don’t remember why I did this except to say, I must have been in such a panicked mode that I reverted to the amount I used to take before discontinuing almost a year prior. Will call a new cardiologist tomorrow to see how soon I can see her but I won’t hold my breath as it’s very difficult to see a physician in Scottsdale.

@rick98
I will be calling a Cardiologist tomorrow to try and get an appointment. That’s all I can do. If I have permanent heart damage, it’s of my own creation.
Claudia

To @jschwing
My primary care doctor fired me also. She prescribed very large quantities of benzos and never followed up with me nor did she tell me they were addictive. I guess you read my response as my Effexor debacle.
Claudia

I saw that you had mentioned heart palpitations. Don’t I know it is tough to get in with Doctors. I am in Florida and the Doctos become more scarce. Do not beat yourself up about the higher dose of Effexor. In reality, the condition of anxiety and depression can cause cardiac issues. I found out yesterday from a cardiologist that I am in AFIB now. My resting heart rate is often over 100 bpm. And there is nothing I can do about it right now. It is another month to see the AFIB specialist. So the cardiologist could not treat it , they referred me. So the cardiologists acted almost like a General Practitioner.

Try not to panic but I know that is very difficult to do because it is part of the condition.

I hope you start feeling better soon. Believe me, I know how this feels; hopeless. But we need to keep the faith. When suffering so greatly, it is difficult to be patient. But in reality, all of this is going to take time.

So I will pray for you and your health and for peace and patience in this time of severe trial.

To @schwing

I lived in Miami, Florida, from the age of 7 to 22. All my family is there. My husband and I are very isolated here with no support. My husband has no one to confide in and the stress that I am causing him doesn’t help with his Parkinson’s disease and he also has Afib. He was hospitalized for 3 days a few years ago where they shocked his heart trying to get it in the proper rhythm but the procedure was not successful. In the throes of my panic attacks, my blood pressure is very high. Wishing you well, Claudia

That's lol, but not. My wife worked for Derntologist. He had 3 drawers of samples. He told her, try drawer 1. If that doesn't work 2 then 3. They really are guessing. Never been told... go away. You'd think she'd refer you to specialist.

I am sorry for your struggles. As mentioned it is vital to understand what is going on and what to expect. With benzos it varies widely for different people. The absolute best place to start is the handbook called the Ashton Manual. She is an MD who managed hundreds of benzo withdrawal patients and dovumented what works and what doesnt and has a schedule template to get yoy started.
Sounds like you have a supportive husband. Will he read through the manual with you? Highly recommend it. This is a huge stress and the more solid info you both have can make a huge difference.
Bottom line is that tapering takes time and you will need to either slow down the schedule or even speed it up depending how it is going.
I have been in many super difficult situations in my life but getting off benzos was the worst unfortunately. Remember it is different for everyone.
After months of tapering it took another long while for me to get my head clear.
Don't despair. Many have done this and had thougts and actions even worse than yours. It's true.
Get the manual free and get with an MD that will help you. Most will not give you the full amount you think you need. They are very limited by their state laws.
You can do it. You have already shown determination and spirit.

If you have no meds on hand maybe the doctor you have will give you a regular prescription as if you are going to continue on with the drug like before. Do that a couple days and then decide to taper. It might let you get started quicker. I know how it feels living moment to moment.
You may need to start back at a lower dose to be sure you dont get some slingshot reaction from going without it. Be sure husband is on board and aware.
God bless.

To @rick98
I saw a new primary care doctor today at Honor Health in Scottsdale. She belittled me about my anxiety. She said that as soon as she came into the exam room, she could see I had one of the worst cases of anxiety she had ever seen. She was laughing as she said it. I was mortified with her lack of sensitivity. I asked a medical assistant to recheck my blood pressure as I was experiencing a wave of fear. She demanded to know what was bringing on my panic attack and palpitations. I tried to explain that is how I feel pretty much 24 hours a day. She purposely did not tighten up the blood pressure cuff and she recorded my results as 112/63. Well, 20 minutes before a different medical assistant took my blood pressure and it was 160/83. This is still lower than the readings I get at home. If you are going to be in the medical field at least show some compassion. Right now I feel terrible.
Claudia

I am sorry to hear you had that reaction from the Doctor. Claudia, I did have a similar reaction from my GP. The struggle is very intense and they don’t show the compassion they should.

Did the Doctor give any direction or recommend a plan for treatment moving forward?